10,000 Nigerians die in Mediterranean Sea, deserts – NIS

No fewer than 10,000 Nigerians have died between January and
May 2017 while trying to illegally migrate through the Mediterranean Sea and
the deserts, the Nigeria Immigration Service has said.

NIS Assistant Comptroller-General, in charge of training,
manpower and development, Mr. Maroof Giwa, said that 4,900 Nigerians died in
the Mediterranean Sea while the rest died while going through the deserts in their
bid to cross to Europe.

He spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Friday on the
sidelines of a training on ‘trafficking in persons/smuggling of migrants at
various borders,’ organised by the NIS.

This is just as the Kwara State Comptroller, NIS, Mrs.
Abiodun Abimbola-Ojo, said the command rescued no fewer than 36 victims of
trafficking from 2015 till date. She also urged people to provide NIS with
useful information that would aid the agency to effectively combat trafficking.

Giwa said Nigeria is a member of many international
instruments and had signed a number of agreements and treaties, particularly
regarding trafficking in persons and smuggling of illegal migrants.

He noted that there is therefore the obligation for the
country to implement such agreements, adding that illegal migrants and
traffickers (from Nigeria) go through Niger Republic, Mali, Libya and Morocco.

He said, “Smuggling of migrants is taking a front burner in
world affairs today. Almost every day, you hear stories of boat capsizing and
people trying to reach Europe. Nigerians are dying almost every day.

“This year alone, 4,900 Nigerians died on the Mediterranean
route to Europe. There are countless others who died on their way through the
deserts; we have even lost count. Many more perished on that route.

“In fact over 10,000 people have died on the Mediterranean
route and the deserts. Those who died in the deserts are far more than the dead
victims along the Mediterranean route.There is the need to create awareness within our community that going to
Europe is not an option, particularly if it is through irregular routes.

“Apart from that, a lot of people are profiting from the
venture. Last week, about 4,000 Nigerians were deported from Libya. Those ones
were intercepted when they were about to enter the Mediterranean Sea.”

Giwa said NIS had been working towards forestalling
trafficking; adding that the agency had commenced an initiative through which
intending migrants would be intercepted even before they set out.

Describing Nigerian borders as bad and with rugged terrains,
Giwa lamented the challenges posed to NIS officials by the vast and porous
state of Nigerian borders.

He, however, vowed that the agency would deal with the
challenges with the use of technology.

He said, “Nigerian borders are very bad. We cannot cover all
and the terrains are rugged. The vastness and porosity of the borders are huge
challenges. Some borders are designated while some are not designated and so
are illegal routes. These traffickers are aware of the illegal routes, so they
try to use them.

“In order to have effective surveillance, you need
technology.If we have drones that we
can use to patrol the borders very well, that will help us a great deal. We
used to have air-border patrol but the aircraft has been grounded. It will be
resuscitated and the aircraft will soon be put to use.

“Very soon, we will be patrolling the borders by air. That
will increase our capability of also fighting terrorism. Most of the terrorist
activities take place around the borders. Traffickers should desist as NIS is
more prepared to tackle them. We have a new law to deal with smugglers.”

According to Abimbola-Ojo, victims trafficking are often
forced to go through inhuman and dehumanising conditions devoid of adequate
health care.

She said some of them ended up contacting infections and
dying in the process while some ladies were sexually abused and died from
health complications arising from moves to abort unwanted pregnancies.

She, therefore, pleaded with parents and guardians to
dissuade their children and wards from embarking on illegal migration.

Abimbola-Ojo said, “The public should assist us in the job.
They should give us information on trafficking and smuggling of persons.
Prevention is necessary.

“Smuggling and trafficking are two major things.The major aim of a trafficker is to exploit,
but a smuggler wants to exploit just now and go his way. He procures the
documents, whether regular or not regular, all he wants is his money.”

In his reaction, NIS Public Relations Officer, Sunday James,
said the agency had been discouraging Nigerians without cogent reasons from
travelling abroad.

James noted that a huge number of those applying for the
national passport had no compelling reason for leaving the country.

He also explained that the service would soon deploy three
surveillance helicopters to track down citizens using illegal routes to leave
the country.

The spokesman said that the choppers were being overhauled,
adding that they would soon be operational to track down and stop illegal
migration by Nigerians.

James could not confirm the figure of desperate Nigerians
killed while leaving the country illegally as stated by Giwa.

He, however, described the ACG as an immigration expert who
had been involved in migration issues for a long time.

He said, “Some of the people embarking on illegal migration
often use routes that are not officially recognised by the service. But as part
of measures to discourage this, we are overhauling our surveillance aircraft
which would be deployed around the borders to track down and stop these
individuals from travelling abroad illegally.”

In March, the spokesperson of the United Nations Migration
agency, International Organisation on Migration, Flavio Di Giacomo, had said
26,589 migrants and refugees entered Europe between January and March, 2017,
with over 80 per cent arriving in Italy and the rest in Spain and Greece. Di
Giacomo said the number was, however, lower compared with 163,895 recorded
through the first 86 days of 2016.

The European Union had also disclosed that 22,500 Nigerian
illegal migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe between January and
September 2016.

Deputy Head of EU delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Richard Young,
who had expressed concern on the increase in the number of migrants travelling
to Europe illegally, said the number increased from 280,000 in 2014 to 1.8
million in 2015.

“In 2014 the number of people travelling illegally into
Europe was 280,000 people; in 2015, it rose to 1.8 million,” he had said.

Young had also disclosed that 420,000 persons had illegally
crossed to Europe between January and September 2016, and that the number was
expected to rise to 800,000 by the end of 2016.

“Within this number, people coming from Nigeria (to Europe)
in 2012 were 800; in 2013, the number was 2,900. In 2014, the number was 8,700;
in 2015, the number was 23,000 and between January and September 2016, the
number is 22, 500,” he had said.